Rebirth of a Nation
by TheHeel
Summary: This is a political thriller, starring characters from the New Avengers and Mighty Avengers. Set in a fictional modern-day USA, the country is in upheaval after the election of President Ron Crump, a billionaire candidate who appealed to the most vile prejudices of voters. The Avengers discover some links between the administration and an old foe...


The president smiled at the cheering crowd—fists pumping, a sea of white faces applauding the giant wall that towered behind the leader of the free world. "We're gonna keep them out! All of them!" he bellowed. President Ron Crump was elected on a promise to build a fence on America's border. He had railed against the "dangerous" criminals on the Mexican side, even calling them rapists and drug-dealers. Crump knew he'd gone too far with that comment, but he would never apologize. His supporters would never forgive him.

Chief of Staff Mark Henniman stood just off-stage, nervously glancing through his text messages. Crump reached his crescendo. "You sent me to Washington to protect this country and get our economy going. And this wall is a huge step forward in making us safe. This country, our country, is going to be great again." The crowd went wild. "Thank you very much. God bless all of you. And God bless the United States of America." The president spread his arms out to the crowd, and the people felt safe. Crump made his exit.

"St. Louis is on lockdown, but we've got reports of riots in the Northeast," Henniman informed his boss. "How bad?" Henniman glanced at his phone, "Several hundred people, clashing with police, tear gas, several buildings burned…" "Send in the guard," Crump replied. "Yes sir." Henniman knew that would be his answer. The president strode toward his car and climbed inside, where his advisers waited for him.

Crump still sounded like he was behind the podium. "We can't show these animals any mercy," he said. Several cities had erupted in riots after shootings by police of unarmed black men. The trampled and disenfranchised were rising up in America. And Crump was elected to put them back down. "We can't have riots in the streets. There must be order." The president clenched his fist and stared out the window.

…..

Sam Wilson sat alone in his apartment, slumped over his coffee table, watching the end of Crump's speech. He switched off his television. "What the hell is happening to this country?" he asked the silence. It seemed like only yesterday when the election of a black president signaled a new era. Then came the inevitable backlash… At first, it seemed like the last throes of a dying system of racial oppression. But now… Wilson needed to talk to someone, a friend he could trust. He grabbed the red white and blue shield, strapped on his wings, and leapt off his balcony, making his way to Avengers Tower.

Wilson found himself flying over armed police and soldiers, sensing their tension, like they were waiting for bullets to fly. Then, he saw it. A huge crowd marched down Highway 78, yelling "No justice, no peace!" They're right, the Falcon thought. Neither one in America today.

As he touched down on the roof, Wilson saw Captain Marvel standing there like she was waiting for him. "Sam," she said. "How you doing, Carol?" Her eyes shifted down. "You watch the president's speech? I couldn't do it. I just had to get away."

"I couldn't believe it.," Wilson replied, "This doesn't make sense." Danvers was ashamed that this racist leader claimed to represent her country. Crump had even tried to coopt the Avengers to enforce his new security plan, but the team politely declined and kept its distance. "I know," she said. "But we've got to figure out our place in this this fucked up world."

Wilson and Danvers joined the rest of the group. Their fellow heroes shared their sentiments. The Falcon sought solace in the team's comradery, their commiseration—soldiers who don't know who they're fight for. He told them what he'd seen in the streets outside, and the team hung their heads. Their conversations eventually moved on to lighter topics. They dined and even laughed.

Until Jarvis burst in, trying to yell above the heroes' chatter, and Jessica Drew stumbled in after him, clutching her bleeding side, a trail of blood behind her. "Oh my god!" howled Wolverine. The team gasped as Drew collapsed into Wilson's arms. He tried to put pressure on the wound. Someone yelled for the doctor. Spider-woman weakly grabbed Wilson's arm. He looked in her eyes. "It's back," she gasped. "Hhhhhiii…."

"Jessica!" Wilson tried CPR until the doctor arrived, but she had lost too much blood. Spider-woman died in his arms.

When the doctor called it, the team feel apart. Some cried. The rest raged. Wilson looked past his grief to Drew's final warning. He knew that Spider-woman still had contacts from her undercover days. That old enemy. After things had quieted down, Wilson took Danvers aside and told her about Drew's warning. "I thought it was over," she said. "You cut off one head…."

…..

The toddler stumbled down the hall in her pajamas, well-worn hand-downs from her older cousin. Her mother, Jessica Jones-Cage, smiled as she followed behind her. "Time to brush your teeth, missy," she said. After wrangling her daughter into bed and kissing her goodnight, Jessica and her husband Luke lounged on the couch, sipping beers and chatting, a sitcom softly playing on the television. Luke complained about the President's speech. "He talks like he's a regular guy, but he's a fucking billionaire. What did he have to do for all that money?" He trailed off, taking a swig of Heineken. "I can't believe we really built that wall," Jessica said. "I know. I thought our country was moving past all that racism and xenophobia," Cage said. Jessica shook her head, overcome by a desire to change the subject. "Anyway…how was work?"

"It was good. Everything's still the same on the assembly line. But a lot of people say big changes are coming. I think they're right." "Hmmm," Jessica agreed. Jean continued, "You know what Jim said today? 'The new owners don't seem so bad.' Can you believe that? I asked him, 'So why did they ban the union and fire all the organizers? What are they so worried about?... I don't know.'" She rested her head on Luke's shoulder. "We could always be superheroes again," she said. He laughed.

….

The sun was rising over the Atlantic, casting an orange-yellow light across Washington, D.C. The president sat in the oval office for an early meeting with his inner circle, a cadre of upstanding American businessmen. "This is fantastic. We're moving at a quick pace, making a lot of progress," President Crump said. His allies agreed. "We've completely de-unionized our workforce," CEO Richard Jenks announced. "We're still trying to purge some organizers," said one concerned executive. A manufacturing mogul from New Jersey stood up. "And our state legislature is not backing down. They won't recognize the legitimacy of the Make America Work Act."

President Crump was well aware of the problems in some of the Northeast states. "We've working on that. Wall Street is leaning hard on them. And I've personally been on the phone with the governor. I own Atlantic City, remember? We'll get them," Crump reassured him. "We're building a new world here, gentlemen, a new economy. The government is finally going to get out of the way. We're going to unleash the full potential of this country's workforce. But there's going to be some bumps along the way. It's not going to be easy."

The men sat around the office, discussing plans for new voting laws and gerrymandered districts that would keep the right people in power. They fretted over all the social unrest. Crump assured them that his new security plan would eventually quell the riots. He described how he was incorporating soldiers into his new national guard—a federal police force. Cameras were being installed throughout the cities, allowing the guard to mobilize at the first sign of a protest.

….

It was a beautiful spring morning in New York, birds singing, the sun bright, a fresh breeze. It was almost idyllic at the cemetery, except for the wailing mourners saying goodbye to Jessica Drew. "She was so brave, putting her life on the line every day. She knew the risks," the priest intoned. "She found strength in her faith—faith in God, faith in her own moral compass, faith in her co…." the priest trailed off. Wolverine looked up and scowled. "…faith in her friends and her comrades," the father continued. "We can all hope to lead such a rich, inspiring life. Let us celebrate that life today."

After the funeral, the Avengers assembled to trace Jessica's footsteps. They hoped to follow her path to whoever killed her. Nick Fury confirmed that he had Spider-Woman exploring signs of Hydra activity. SHIELD had intelligence trickling in, chatter among some shady individuals with Hydra connections. The group quizzed Fury for specifics, not satisfied with his vague answers. Sam Wilson stood up. "I can't believe I have to ask this. Could this have anything to do with the president?" Fury sighed. "We don't have any evidence tying the administration to HYDRA, but I'll be honest with you here, some of our analysts are looking into it. But we can't assume anything." Wilson leaned forward, his fists wrapped tightly around the back of a chair. "It would make sense. HYDRA started with Nazis, and now they hook up with this racist."

"Whoa, whoa. Let's slow down. Who was Jessica talking to?" Wolverine asked. "I don't know. She liked to play things close to the chest," Fury said. "I know one of her contacts," Danver said. "We can start there. He's a former agent of HYDRA, now residing in a super-max penitentiary in Kansas."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
